1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to machines for freezing to a viscose state a mix of sugar, eggs and milk to form a confectionary known as soft ice cream or frozen custard for sale to the public in cones or cups.
2. Prior Art
Soft ice cream and even frozen custard making machines have long been known and in common use and all employ similar structure. Specifically, earlier devices, have all included a freezing chamber that is maintained within a box type housing or cabinet, wherein a plurality of blades are turned to churn the mix. The chamber is cooled by introduction of freon or like expansive gas therearound and is usually insulated to maintain or retain cold within and around that chamber.
Prior to the present invention, such earlier devices have not employed a modular freezing chamber and related components to include a blade assembly turning therein along with the means for turning that assembly arranged as a module to be conveniently removable. This modular assembly, including the machine components, are those that most often fail and need repair or replacement. Unlike the present invention, earlier machines have utilized freezing chambers and turning blades arranged as individual assemblies within a cabinet. Such chamber has been secured in that cabinet with freon or like gas transfer tubes or pipes wrapped therearound, and insulation coated thereover limited access and making removal difficult or impossible. Such arrangements have necessitated, when the freezing chamber or blade turning components are damaged or defective, that the whole machine to be torn down and repaired in place, rather than, as with the present invention, the repair made by a replacement of a modular freezing chamber only. The modular custard freezing chamber assembly of the present invention can be easily removed, greatly simplifying machine maintenance, and insuring that the machine will not be down or inoperable for a significant period of time so as to cause a loss of business. Further, as the present invention, similar to earlier machines, normally employs two freezing chambers, by having the one chamber separately removable from the machine as does the present invention the operation of the other freezing chamber is not disrupted, allowing the machine to continue to operate even while one of the chambers is being repaired.
Additionally, freezing machines generally involve valve arrangements associated with a vessel for dispensing mix from that vessel that gravity feeds into a freezing chamber or barrel. Such outlets are usually a type of gate valve arrangement that are operated at the vessel outlet. The present invention, like such earlier devices, also employs a vessel located in the cabinet top wherein mix is poured to flow therefrom into a freezing chamber or barrel and incorporate such gate valve thereat. Unique to the present invention is a novel valve control that is arranged to be turned remotely to operate the mix control valve to pass mix into a freezing chamber or barrel inlet. Where earlier machines have required that an operator physically reach inside the cabinet, proximate to turning belts to adjust that flow, the valve control of the present invention allows an operator entry from without the housing, to control flow of the mix into the freezing chamber or barrel.